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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Coffee Twist Three Ways

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a festive bread that lends itself to holiday breakfasts. It's not difficult to make and because of the way it's filled, its flavor is limited only by the imagination of the cook and the staples in the refrigerator and pantry. The base for the coffee cake is a standard sweet bread. The filling is nothing more than a layer of jam topped with a sprinkling of compatible nuts. The bread gets its festive air from the way it's cut and twisted. It's simple from start to finish and if you use a good jam and toast the nuts, you'll have an outstanding breakfast or coffee treat. I must admit that I make and freeze these twists well ahead of time and simply reheat them for early morning festivities. The twist in the photos above is made with seedless blackberry jam and toasted, coarsely chopped, hazelnuts. I have included alternative fillings in the recipe, so you'll have some options should you want them. Here's the recipe.

Directions:1) Heat milk, sugar, butter and salt in a small saucepan set over medium heat until butter melts. Let sit for 30 minutes, or until mixture is at room temperature.2) Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add milk mixture, 2 eggs and 1-1/4 cups flour. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in 3 cups flour to form a dough.3) Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding flour only to prevent sticking. Place in a large greased bowl and turn to coat all sides of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.4) Punch dough down. Turn onto a very lightly floured surface; cover and let rest 15 minutes.5) Coat a 15 x 10-inch baking pan with cooking spray.6) Roll dough into a 14-inch square. Spread with jam of choice, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Top with nuts of choice.7) Roll dough as for jelly roll, pinching seam to close. Transfer, very carefully, to prepared baking sheet. Reshape as necessary to retain 14-inch shape. Cut roll in half lengthwise. With cut side facing up and starting in the middle, work towards top of dough, crossing strips back and forth keeping cut sides facing up. Pinch ends together and tuck under to seal. Repeat procedure with bottom half of loaf. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.8) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat reserved egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush top of loaf with glaze and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.9) Bake for 30 minutes, or until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Yield 1 loaf (about 12 servings).

Decisions, decisions, decisions, how can one I pick just one??? Beautiful and a perfect idea for holiday breakfasts with a house full of people! I have always been very intimidated by bread but you are beginning to make me feel like I can do this!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Mary! I am very thankful to have you as a blogger friend :-) LeslieMichele

Gosh, that does look good. I followed the link from Wild Yeast's ever-reliable Yeast Spotting, and this is great idea, even by yeast-spotting's usual high standards. I shall bake it later in the week - an end of term treat for my students, the lucky devils.

There are a few differences: she is lengthening her strands - don't do that. She also twists from the top down rather than start in the middle and work towards the ends as I do. If that's easier for you it is OK. Do notice how she keeps the filling facing upward. That is important. When you get to either end, pinch the ends and form dough into a circle, again pinch the end where they overlap. It's easy to do once you get the hang of the technique.

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